Path Planning and Vehicle Scheduling Optimization for Logistic Distribution of Hazardous Materials in Full Container Load

Mathematical models for path planning and vehicle scheduling for logistic distribution of hazardous materials in full container load (FCL) are established, with their problem-solving methods proposed. First, a two-stage multiobjective optimization algorithm is designed for path planning. In the first stage, pulse algorithm is used to obtain the Pareto paths from the distribution center to each destination. In the second stage, a multiobjective optimization method based on Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is designed to obtain candidate transport paths. Second, with analysis on the operating process of vehicles with hazardous materials in FCL, the vehicle scheduling problem is converted to Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW). A problem-solving method based on estimation of distribution is adopted. A transport timetable for all vehicles based on their transport paths is calculated, with participation of the decision-makers. A visual vehicle scheduling plan is presented for the decision-makers. Last, two examples are used to test the method proposed in this study: distribution of hazardous materials in a small-scale test network and distribution of oil products for sixteen gas stations in the main districts of Lanzhou city. In both examples, our method is used to obtain the path selection and vehicle scheduling plan, proving that validity of our method is verified.